Archive for the TFC Category

Good Monday, everyone. Actually, great Monday. Not only could our women’s national team win continental glory later tonight, but right now, you can have a listen to the latest episode of Some Canadian Guys Talking About Soccer.

On this show, we talk about the CanWNT’s journey to next year’s Women’s World Cup, we evaluate how much of a disaster the MLS Cup in Toronto is going to be, we muse needlessly about the future of Toronto FC’s front office… and in the most preposterous edition of Promotion/Relegation Roundup yet, we run the gamut from Hoobastank’s discography to Grant’s burgeoning horse-breeding business.

When I woke up Saturday morning, I had a reasonably solid plan for the day. But nowhere in that plan, I must admit, was “watch goals being scored by Andrea Lombardo and Will freakin’ Hesmer.” Had I made a penny bet on that outcome, I’d surely be a billionaire by today.

But that’s just the kind of day it was.

The kind of day when the loudest cheers at BMO Field were reserved for Jon Conway after he was sent off for violently shoving a defrocked Steven Lenhart. It was fitting, perhaps, that on a day when the stadium was littered with “protests” of one sort or another, Conway’s show of defiance (or, if the game had meant anything for TFC, self-centred petulance) resonated so deeply with those in attendance. It’s also tragically fitting — to those who know what to expect from this team, by now — that TFC coughed up a lead in injury time, to their “hated” rival, with the goalkeeper (of all bloody people) scoring the final goal. Continue reading →

Because I’m sure everyone around the country is desperate to hear about the latest squabbles between a club that’s never made the league playoffs in its existence and its sometimes overly-self-congratulatory supporters clubs, here’s your update…

Toronto FC has published an open letter to its fans, which states that the club is “sorry” for this season’s performance, rehashes the sentiment that Toronto’s fans are the “best” in MLS (because, evidently, the Seattle Sounders are still in Division 2) and invites supporters to attend a series of “town hall” meetings wherein suggestions for improving the club will be collected and, presumably, summarily thrown in the proverbial trash bin.

The club, through the letter, also apologizes for “not listening better”. Well, the club’s bigwigs (who, I’d imagine, had no hand in crafting this letter) had better make sure they’re paying attention this Saturday. Continue reading →

Hello world. World, meet Some Canadian Guys Talking About Soccer, Episode #24. The women’s team getting a win! The men’s team getting experimental! The domestic clubs getting defensive! The homeless team getting sportsmanlike! Dwayne DeRosario getting thrown under the bus!

Plus the merits of chest-waxing, predictions for this Friday’s friendly, more borderline libel and grievous factual errors… and Grant calls Paul Stalteri “the David Beckham of Canada”.

I decided that, in the wake of yesterday’s for-all-intents-and-purposes-season-ending home defeat to San Jose, a downtown liquor store would be a good spot to gauge fan reaction to Toronto FC’s performance. And by “gauge fan reaction”, I mean “purchase booze to help drown out the shittiness of another lost campaign.”

As I came up to the cash register, the fellow behind the till turned to a customer in a TFC kit.

“Hey man, how did the game end up?”
“We lost 3-2,” said the supporter.
“Of course,” the clerk said, sarcastically. This would be the nicest thing he’d say about the team.

“Why the hell did they hire Nick Dasovic anyway?” the clerk immediately proceeded to ask no one in particular. I decided not to press him on whether or not Dasovic’s four-game head-coaching resume was sufficiently inept to justify Toronto finding a sixth head coach, post haste.

If you ever played in competitive tournaments, you probably had a teammate who obsessively tabulated exactly what results were needed in upcoming games in order for your team to advance. Well, on my team, that was me. So trust me that beyond the symbolism involved, last night’s unexpected draw with Cruz Azul was very big. I’ll get to the numbers in a moment.

But first, a question… seriously, Toronto FC, can you make up your damned minds, already? Can you decide whether we’re supposed to hate you or love you? (Or, at least, can you stick with the decision for more than a few days at a time?)

The disastrous 1-0 defeat to DC United… the long-awaited firing of Mo Johnston… the 4-1 shellacking at Salt Lake… the last-second 2-1 victory at Houston… the not-unexpected rise in ticket prices… a historic 0-0 result at Cruz Azul… and this is in a week and a half.

No wonder the average sports fan is ambivalent towards the team — they just don’t have the time to wrap their heads around what the hell is going on. Continue reading →

Plenty will be said about Toronto FC’s announcement today that they’ve fired the team’s fourth head coach (in four years), Preki, as well as the only GM the club has ever known, Mo Johnston. Plenty of catharsis for TFC supporters, most of whom have howled for the axe to fall on MoJo since as long ago as 2008.

So my quick initial thoughts will combine healthy doses of positivity and cynicism.

First, the former. Replacing Johnston and Preki will be — on an interim basis, at least — Earl Cochrane and Nick Dasovic. Throw Jim Brennan into the mix, with his current position in the front office, and three of the most powerful positions within Toronto FC are filled by Canadians. That is a good thing, no matter how you slice it.

Now, the latter. The defeatist sentiment was palpable at BMO Field on Saturday. Supporters groups argued with one another at the end of the match. The announced attendance figure of 20,000+ was even more laughably implausible than usual. Across social media, message boards and website comments, scores of Toronto FC season-seat holders were pledging not to renew.